ABOUT ME
Well, What can I say about me? First off, my name is Brian. I grew up in a small coastal town in Connecticut. I graduated from The Rochester Institute of Technology with a BS degree in Printing. After college, I briefly moved back to Connecticut, and then on to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I lived there for almost 10 years. I then lived in St. Petersburg, Florida for about one and a half years. I now reside in a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina with my wife, my daughter, and two cats.
I am a big fan of the Sullivan Entertainment productions of Anne of Green Gables (and its sequel's) and Road to Avonlea. I first discovered Anne of Green Gables back in 1985, when it first aired on PBS in the United States. I was 15 at the time. That is when I fell in love with both the story of Anne, and the tiny Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It wasn't until years later that I discovered only 5% of the movie was filmed on PEI. That didn't matter to me. Those scenes that were filmed there, and Sullivan's movie, changed my life forever. I have been to PEI three times since 1996, and plan to go as often as possible. I met my wife, Erin, because of the Anne of Green Gables movies. How did this happen? Once I finally got connected to the internet, I discovered the Avonlea Message Board, previously known as the Anne3 forum. I became a very active member and made many, many friends. This is where I met my wife.
Several years later, maybe around 1995, I discovered Road to Avonlea. Actually, I discovered Disney's Tales of Avonlea. For some reason, they didn't think the title Road to Avonlea was appropriate for the American Audience. I was only able to catch a few episodes before they stopped airing it. It was then when my hunt for more information started. I did eventually find out more about the show, and started buying all of the VHS tapes that were produced. Unfortunately, this did not quench my desire for RTA. I needed to know more. This is how my journey began looking for the filming locations of AOGG and RTA.
At the time, I lived in Pennsylvania, and had recently connected to the internet. I did some research, and found most of the film locations to be in Ontario, Canada. Well, that was only a six to seven hour drive, and I thought nothing of making reservations at a local B&B,the Willo'Wind B&B ,and planning a trip to see where it all took place. I have a great fascination with the discovery of where these films were shot. I made at least three journeys up to Ontario to gather information and take pictures. I plan to do it again sometime, too. For more information on the film sites, please visit the Film Sites section.
So, you may be asking yourself why I'm in a kilt in the photo above. My Fathers side of my family originated in Scotland, and then moved to Northern Ireland, specifically Castlederg, Tyrone County. I myself am an Irish Citizen and I'm very proud of my family heritage, and to honour it, I wear a kilt. The tartan I'm wearing in the above photo is the Irish National. This kilt is a hand-sewn heavyweight kilt made in Scotland. I also have a kilt in the Ancient Cameron of Erracht tartan. More pictures of these kilts can be found in my photo album. Do I wear my kilts only on special occasions? Heck no! I wear my kilt whenever I can. I don't need an excuse to wear the kilt. It is the most comfortable garment known to man. If you are interested in learning more about kilts, or if you think you might like to wear a kilt, please check out KiltsRock.com, a community of kilt wearers from around the world.
Want to know more? Well, some of my hobbies include photography, hiking, camping (although I haven't done it in years) and biking. I used to also be involved with hot air ballooning when I lived in Pennsylvania. I was part of the crew for two balloonists. One of the best perks of the "job" was free balloon rides. I think I've taken at least 10 balloon rides while I was involved. I'm also an avid gardener. My main interests are ornamental grasses and perennials. I'm a former Master Gardener, too. I enjoy all types of music, including Bluegrass and Celtic. If you enjoy Celtic music, you might want to head over to Celtic Radio.net. It's another online community with loads of great Scottish, Irish and Celtic music. It also has a wonderful forum. I also really enjoy classical music. Luckily, there is a radio station near us that plays classical music 24/7, with no ads, news, etc. It's great! The good news is that it is available to many people, either by satellite, cable or the internet. If you like classical music, check it out. The station is WCPE 89.7, and is known as The Classical Station.